"Observe the enemy's outside to know what's inside, watch his progress to know his stop, and determine victory or defeat." [Wu Zi's Art of War: Anticipating the Enemy]
Huang Zu, the former governor of Donglai and captain of Henghai, was deposed not for some unexplainable reason, but because of his own fault. While Xu Huang took full charge of military affairs in the south and pacified the barbarians, Zhang Liao, the Zhenbei general stationed in Youzhou, also
Unwilling to lag behind, they prepared to launch a war to attack Liaodong.
To attack Liaodong, one must inevitably avoid the vast Liao Ze, face the Liao Tunnel heavily guarded by Gongsun Du, and face the long route of being invaded by Goguryeo, Wuhuan and other tribes at any time along the way. Advancing by sea and land is the best solution before Zhang Liao.
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However, because Huang Zu was old and held the positions of governor and captain at the same time, his energy was not as good as before. After arriving in Donglai, he began to lose his ambition and indulged in drinking and sex. When Zhang Liao's military order came, Huang Zu was even more afraid of the waves.
Only generals were sent there, but the sea was not as good as the one on the river. The navy neglected the battle formation, and several warships were overturned by the waves before they went to sea for a long time.
Zhang Liao naturally aroused a fiery temper when the army failed to succeed. Regardless of whether Huang Zu, the captain, was in his control, he sent his men to Donglai to seize the opponent's seal, and then reported them to the court.
Faced with Zhang Liao's accusations and the unfavorable facts, Huang Zu could not defend himself. At this moment, no one in the court was willing to stand up for him. Fortunately, the emperor thought of Huang Wan's sake and only dismissed him from his military post.
However, his position was transferred to Jiaozhi County.
It was already winter, and the seas in Liaodong began to freeze one after another, making it difficult for navigation. Zhang Liao had to temporarily cease all activities and asked the mediator, Tai Shici, to lead his troops to Donglai to rectify the navy and get familiar with the boat brigade in preparation for the next year's campaign.
Before leaving, Taishi Ci recommended Sima Yi, who was with him and helped him a lot, to Zhang Liao.
At this time, Zhang Liao was lacking such people who were good at military planning. Xu Miao, the chief secretary under his command, remembered that Feng Hui was good at government affairs and was never as good at making plans as Fazheng, whom Zhang Liao had met. At this time, he received a recommendation from Tai Shi Ci.
, and through Wen Hui, who was a secretary man, he learned about Sima Yi's deeds in Liangzhou, and received him warmly.
This is also the difference between Zhang Liao and Xu Huang. If Xu Huang was prudent and cautious, he would never have made such a controversial move rashly. Only Zhang Liao, who was known for his bravery and strategy, would not care about this.
"Now I have something to do to thank you. It has been several years since the imperial court recovered the world. However, Gongsun Du of Liaodong stole one area and claimed to be a minister externally, but he was independent internally. He has never obeyed. The country has long wanted to order me to attack it, but due to the many troubles at home, it has not been possible.
Now that this disaster is about to be quelled, can Zhongda have a good plan for me?" Zhang Liao got straight to the point and asked unceremoniously.
Sima Yi knew that this was a "strategy test" for him, and the level of his answers determined his weight in Zhang Liao's heart. He secretly thought that he would follow Tai Shici to participate in Jizhou's quelling the rebellion, and uncovered many wealthy families. From this incident
Judging from the fact that the emperor did not blame him at all, it seemed that he no longer had to travel around to study and could give up his status as a 'commoner'.
"Although Liaodong is a county, it is located in a remote area, blocked by mountains and swamps, and Gongsun Du has been operating for several years. It cannot be defeated by a partial army. I wonder how many troops the general wants to lead?" Sima Yi asked first.
"Youzhou has 40,000 soldiers. I want to personally lead 30,000 troops. Taishi Ci, who is temporarily stationed in Donglai, and the navy have a total of 7,000 people." Zhang Liao patted his knee with his right hand and said, "Gongsun Du has four soldiers and horses.
More than 10,000 people, most of them were scattered in Lelang and other places to defend Goguryeo. Even if he heard the bad news, he only deployed more than 20,000 cavalry at Liaotunnel."
After saying that, Zhang Liao stared at Sima Yi closely. He had made it clear that he would see what Sima Yi had to do next.
Sima Yi nodded and said quickly: "Based on what I see, if Gongsun Du abandoned the city and left, luring me to go deeper and cut off the grain road behind him, it would be the best strategy. As for holding the Liao River to resist the heavenly troops, that would be the middle strategy.
It is even worse to sit in the isolated city of Xiangping."
Sima Sunli, who was sitting next to him, interrupted impatiently: "The Marquis wants you to plan for our army, so why are you planning for Gongsun Du?"
"You are all officials of the imperial court. Are you afraid that the secret conversation here will be spread to Gongsun Du's ears?" Sima Yi retorted with a relaxed smile, and then said: "Know yourself and the enemy, and you will not be in danger in a hundred battles. Only those who know can understand each other deeply. I have an idea of what Gongsun Du wants.
Why not do it and then devise strategies to control it?"
Sun Li seemed a little dissatisfied and wanted to speak, but Zhang Liao waved his hand to stop him and asked directly: "Is Zhongda successful?"
"Now our army's expedition is facing obstacles and difficulties, and it is said that it will not last long. Therefore, Gongsun Du must first reject the Liao River and then defend it, waiting for the hard work." Sima Yi cupped his hands and said: "I think that the general's strategy of advancing simultaneously by sea and land is very feasible, but
There are still detailed information along the way on land. When the army enters the Liao Tunnel, suspicious troops can be deployed south of it. Our army will cross the river from the north, bypass its camp, and go straight to Xiangping. If they discover it later, we will set up a trap on the way.
If we ambush them, we can pacify Liaodong in just a few battles."
This strategy won Zhang Liao's liking. If Xu Huang was steady and steady, then he was unexpected and came and went like the wind. At this time, he finally started to pay attention to Sima Yi. Although he did not clearly agree with the other party's opinion, he made his position clear when he asked.
: "Based on what you see, when is the best time to go on the expedition?"
"It won't be too late, of course the sooner the better!" Sima Yi said loudly.
The sooner the better?
There was an uproar in the hall. Except for Zhang Liao and the partial general Zhang He, who had no different expressions on their faces, everyone else raised their opinions: "It is winter now, and the wind is like a knife. Where is the time to send troops?"
"In such a cold weather, it is extremely difficult to march or transport food, let alone go into battle. This guy is really talking about military affairs..."
"Has he been to Youzhou and been in a battle array? How dare he talk nonsense here?"
"Regardless of whether my words are helpful or not, generals should not be so timid." Sima Yi mocked coldly, and everyone actually laughed at him.
"What did you say!" The first person to express his dissatisfaction was the school captain Han Dang. He felt that he had been insulted and jumped up to curse.
Because Han Dang was from western Liaoning, he was separated from Sun Ce's command by Xu Huang a few years ago and transferred to Zhang Liao's command. Also coming with him was Cheng Pu from Youbeiping.
The two men left their old masters and returned to their hometowns. They still fulfilled their responsibilities as generals. They often took the lead on the border and encouraged the soldiers to stick to their guns. They also respected their superiors and obeyed the laws. Even Zhang Liao repeatedly praised them for their good deeds.
But now Sima Yi, a young boy, actually questioned him, how could he bear it!
"Okay! Everyone, sit back!" Zhang Liao shouted angrily.
"Marquis, Lord Justice is right. It's cold in the north, and ordinary soldiers are prone to sores. They can't draw their bows or lift their spears. How can they march and fight?" Cheng Pu said eagerly from the side, fearing that the general who was Zhenbei was in front of him.
I was persuaded to take the whole army on an adventure.
Zhang Liao frowned. Although cotton has been used to make bedding and clothing and has been given priority to the northern armies by the Ministry of War, these heavy cotton clothes alone do not seem to be enough to launch a winter offensive.
It's just that the strategy presented by Sima Yi was too tempting and had certain feasibility, so Zhang Liao couldn't bear to give up. After thinking about it again and again, he suppressed the excited Han Dang and others and asked the others again: "Everyone."
What do you think?"
Zhang He, who was second only to him in status, suggested at this time: "If you are surprised, you will be able to accomplish extraordinary feats. One is that the weather is cold, and our army cannot fight for a long time, how can they endure the war? Secondly, at this time in previous years,
Even if the sea is frozen, the Liao River must also be frozen, and the foot and horse can easily gallop on it. In this way, the enemy will lose the advantage of Liao Ze."
"They don't have the right time and the right location. Our officers and men are united, and they are prepared and unprepared. If we want to fight, we can fight quickly and decide quickly!" Zhang He also doesn't stick to conventional methods in his military use, and is good at seizing opportunities. He seems to agree with this.
Attitude.
Yan Rou, the captain of Huwuwan, said: "At this time in the past, when Xianbei was blocked, Wuhuan and other tribes would go south to plunder to survive. Those Hu tribes were not afraid of the wind and cold, and rode like the wind. When our army went east,
We should also be careful to prevent them from taking advantage of the opportunity to attack. Why not lure them with heavy bribes, lure them as reinforcements, and take a detour from the fortress to attack Goguryeo and Xiangping?"
Since Zhang Liao guarded Youzhou, he had often dealt with these foreign tribes, winning more and losing less, but there was no decisive victory that could seriously damage the opponent's vitality.
Although he is not afraid of these foreign races, it is not impossible to make them kill each other, consume their strength, and at the same time restrain Gongsun Du for himself.
"What kind of heavy bribery can we get?" Zhang Liao was still more cautious. This Yan Rou had been Wu Wan, a prisoner of Xianbei. Not only had she received the trust and respect of the foreign tribes, but she had also led the Xianbei Hu cavalry south to help Yuan Xi.
, indulging Hu Qi brought a lot of trouble to Youzhou... Zhang Liao could not help but speculate on the other party with malicious intent.
"Countless of the cattle and sheep in the fortress will freeze to death every cold winter. The Hu people will not survive, so they will go south to plunder. If they can produce one hundred thousand grain and grass, the various tribes in the fortress will be able to gather thousands of horses to drive for the army." Yan Rou.
There is no doubt that he is there, so he said.
Zhang Liao silently calculated in his mind, and just when he was about to have an answer, Xu Miao, the chief clerk below, took the initiative and said: "According to the system, the monthly ration of garrison soldiers is three dan. If we raise 30,000 troops to attack Liaodong, including the loss of food transportation, we will need ten dan of food per month."
More than ten thousand. Even if it is a quick battle, it will take two or three months to go back and forth. The total cost of food and grass is three to four hundred thousand. In the warehouse, there is not only food from the state, but also food and grass drawn from Jizhou, totaling one million dendrobium.
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Even if the troops on the fortress are cavalry, one hundred thousand grains for ten thousand people is too much, and it is not known whether these people will contribute. If only the old and weak are sent to help, wouldn't it be worth the loss?
After Zhang Liao figured this out, he said to Wen Hui, the reporter who was writing very fast and recording everyone's remarks at the meeting: "This is a serious matter, so we must first report it to the emperor for a decision."
The military discussion in Youzhou was quickly conveyed back to Chang'an through fast horses. The emperor could understand Zhang Liao's eager mood. Xu Huang, who was equally important to him, had already put down several major chaos in the south and had made great achievements in battle. But now he is just a man.
General Zhenbei. Of course, the situation outside the Great Wall is complicated and cannot be solved by 30,000 or 40,000 people at one go. It is even more unbearable for people to compare Zhang Liao and Xu Huang. In the future, who will paint the Qilin Pavilion and go to the Yuntai, who will go first and who will go last?
Woolen cloth?
After understanding Zhang Liao's thoughts, the emperor did not want to owe the other party. Not only did he let Zhang Liao make his own decision, but he also appointed Sima Yi as the captain of the Liaodong vassal state, which in turn tacitly approved Zhang Liao's misconduct in discussing military affairs with the "commoner" Sima Yi in advance.
Zhang Liao received the authorization and immediately selected a date to send out two troops before the end of the year. One group was led by Taishi Ci and Cai Mao, with five thousand troops. They set out from Donglai and crossed the sea along the islands between the straits to attack; the other group was led by Taishi Ci and Cai Mao.
Zhang Liao, led by Zhang He, sent 30,000 troops to attack Liaodong along the Liaoxi Corridor.
In addition, Zhang Liao, through Yan Rou, persuaded the tribes on the fortress who were close to the imperial court. At the cost of grain, gold, silver, and titles, Zhang Liao gathered a total of 8,000 fine cavalry, led by the captain, and detoured from the grassland to attack.
Xuande County in the north of Liaodong County.
This time, Zhang Liao invested a total of nearly 50,000 people, and most of Youzhou's elite troops were transferred here. Anyone could see that this was not a small fight like in the past, but that the imperial court finally did not want to see Gongsun Du separatist power in a remote area, and acted on his own.
So awesome.
After receiving the news, Gongsun Du ordered his general Bi Sheng to lead his troops to defend the Liao Tunnel in order to respond to Zhang Liao's offensive. He increased his troops to 30,000. He also mobilized troops from Lelang to defend Xiangping, and persuaded Goguryeo to send troops to defend Xianbei at Xuanyuan.
The cavalry of Wuhuan tribes.
Gongsun Du didn't think that the imperial court would march by sea. He once sent troops across the sea to invade Donglai. How could he not know the importance of the sea route? Gongsun Du already knew this after hearing that the imperial court had set up a Henghai captain in Donglai.
It was built to deal with him, but the Donglai navy had just changed its generals, and the military morale was not uniform, so it did not pose a threat to him. If his own port had not been frozen, how could he have sent troops across the sea to harass Qingzhou!
He made up his mind to let Zhang Liao defeat him this winter, but he received news of defeat in the first battle, and it happened to come from the sea that he had neglected!
Liaodong County, Fanhan.
Fanhan County is located in the easternmost part of Liaodong, at the intersection of Peishui and Xishui. Not far to the south is Haikou, and across the Xishui to the east is Lelang. During the Warring States Period, Yan general Qin Kai led his army to
He conquered the west, expelled the Donghu, and expanded the territory for more than 2,000 miles until Fanhan was the boundary. This became an old border fortress and the only place Lelang's reinforcements must pass to go to Liaodong.
Although Taishi Ci led 5,000 men and captured Fanhan unexpectedly, in the face of thousands of reinforcements led by Gongsun Du's cronies, Lelang Prefect Wang Jian, Taishi Ci still only planned to send 2,000 of his own troops to relieve Fanhan.
On the bank of Peishui, Taishi Ci saw that Wang Jian's troops had crossed the river halfway, and immediately shouted loudly. Then two thousand Jiefan soldiers behind him came up with a shout, catching Wang Jian by surprise.
When Wang Jian saw the sudden arrival of the enemy, he was shocked and frightened. What surprised him was that the imperial army had actually attacked here. Could it be that Xiangping had been lost? What he was afraid of was that he would have a bad start and would die here.
He hurriedly turned his horse to go away, but he was walking on the river ice. Just now, in order to show off his power, he refused to dismount and walk. At this moment, the horse's hoof panicked, and it slipped and fell hard from the ice.
Taishi Ci's men all tied up their shoes with rough straw ropes, and for a while they only focused on chasing down the enemy troops who came ashore. Not only did they have no impact, but their momentum was intimidating.
Wang Jian had no intention of fighting anymore, and finally ran back to the east bank with a bruised face and a bruised face. He did not dare to resist, and fled directly to Zengdi County opposite Fanhan with a few soldiers.
Taishi Ci did not expect that this battle would be fought so easily. When he was in the mainland, he had often heard that Gongsun Du was dominating Haidong, and that Goguryeo, Wuwan and other tribes all surrendered. He thought that the opponent's troops were good at fighting, but he did not expect that they would collapse at the first touch.